A Recall the Left Would Rather Forget

On Tuesday, Republican Governor Scott Walker handily defeated Democrat Tom Barrett, and Republican Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch did the same against Democrat Mahlon Mitchell. Both triumphed by nine-point margins amidst heavy voter turnout. Thus, the first state that allowed collective bargaining for government employees beginning in 1959 has come full circle. Walker’s victory is a repudiation of government unions that have strained state budgets across the nation, and may mark the first step towards bringing the nation back to fiscal sanity.

Tuesday was not without drama. Democrats accused Walker proponents of cheating, contending that calls were being made telling people if they’d signed the recall, they didn’t need to vote. State Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee) sent a letter to Government Accountability Board Director Kevin Kennedy requesting an investigation into “such persons that are committing election fraud and misdemeanor crimes by their individual or group communications.” On the other side, an alleged Michigan resident calling himself Mike phoned into WMAL’s The Chris Plante Show claiming that Michigan’s “Democrat Unions” had organized a convoy of 4 buses, filled with Michigan Democrats who intended to illegally vote for Tom Barrett. And according to Election Protection, a D.C.-based voters rights group, hundreds of voters called a hotline to complain about being asked for photo ID even though it wasn’t required for this election, and about difficulty voting due to a new 28-day residency requirement in the state.

The days immediately preceding the election were equally colorful. Bernadette Gillick, a University of Minnesota professor, accused Walker of fathering a love child with her college roommate, a woman called “Ruth” to protect her identity. Walker denied the allegation calling it “horrific” and “ridiculous.” More importantly, so did “Ruth” in a subsequent interview with the WCMC. “I can confirm that it was not Scott Walker who is my daughter’s father,” she said. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online “Watchdog” reporter Daniel Bice corroborated the denial, further noting that Ruth believes “Dr. Gillick is mixing up stories.” Bice also checked Wisconsin’s Consolidated Court Automation Programs (CCAP) and discovered “it has taken a family court suit involving Scott Alan Walker and mixed it up with the governor, Scott Kevin Walker.” Despite such an obvious debunking, the story remained posted on left-leaning blogs as the latest reason to oust the Governor.

In another telling development, the United States Department of Justice announced Monday that they would be monitoring election returns in the various locales around the country, including the city of Milwaukee, to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Milwaukee is Wisconsin’s largest city and Democrats believed a large turnout in the city where Barrett beat Walker by almost 50 points in 2010 would be the key to an upset victory.

Many critics were skeptical regarding the DOJ’s seemingly newfound interest in protecting the integrity of the voting process. They cited U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s indifference to two New Black Panther Party members intimidating voters in Philadelphia in 2008, his lawsuits challenging voter ID requirements in Texas and South Carolina despite validation of voter ID by the U.S. Supreme Court, and DOJ’s latest attempt to prevent Florida from cleaning up their voter rolls.

But by mid-evening Tuesday, none of the gamesmanship mattered. The margin of Walker’s victory was large enough that any attempt to challenge it is doomed to fail.

Arnold Ahlert is a former NY Post op-ed columnist currently contributing to JewishWorldReview.com, HumanEvents.com and CanadaFreePress.com. He may be reached at atahlert@comcast.net.

stevefraser

Thanks…a nice essay that gave a number of details of the Wisconsin situation.

Chezwick

How sweeeeeeet it is!!!

Lesson to be drawn?….

For Romney, it is sticking to your guns AND focusing on the economy, jobs and the debt and steering away from social issues; social conservatives are in the fold and will be out in force regardless. We want to pull in the center that Barry has so effectively alienated.

For Barry, it would be to give up the notion that igniting your base will be key in November and at least present the appearance of moving to the center. But why do I suspect you're so ideologically driven that doing so will be exceedingly difficult?

I'm not counting my chickens folks, but tonight sure as hell bodes well for November.

fiddler

And I think Mitt could learn a little something from Newt, the way he turned around the questions asked in the debates. It's time we were comfortable in our own skin and not sheepish about telling it like it is. What Scott Walker was here was COURAGEOUS throughout. The other day when Woolfe Blitzer "blitzed" Donald Trump by starting off with the birther subject, Trump would not be duped. It's time for No more Mr/Ms nice guy! Time to "Walker-ize" the Conservative Senate and House. We are in a battle for our nation's survival!

wsk

Absolutely!

Oleg

To be technical about things, breaking the power structure of the public employee unions, ending manditory union membership, and forced dues collection is social conservatism since this is how much of the radical left maintains it's political machine. Many of these same unions have been financing the Occupy movement, Planned Parenthood, supporting financial divestment of Isreal, feminazi groups, radical gay rights groups, environmental groups, Illlegal "Voting Rights" groups, etc. They are like an cancer, to kill a cancer you must cut off it's blood supply, in this case money supply.

Chezwick

Very valid point. I just hope Romney stays on message and doesn't get distracted with social issues that won't help him with the religious right (since they're already on board), but that could hurt him with libertarians and independents who see the writing on the wall on economic issues but are otherwise wary of conservatives. Dethroning Barry is an absolute imperative for the survival of these United States.

truebearing

Right on! Walker just gave the Republicans a template for success. Say what you mean, do what you say, and do it with courage. Pretty simple, right?

Walker is the best example of leadership in American politics today. Needless to say, we love him in Wisconsin, and I'm not exaggerating. People really love the guy. His supporters were ready and willing to fight for him. Barretts….not so much. it just goes to show that the Left is real tough when they have more money and bigger mobs, but when faced with a resolute opponent, they skulk back to their lairs and begin plotting ways to win without having to fight.

Chezwick

TRUEBEARING: "it just goes to show that the Left is real tough when they have more money and bigger mobs, but when faced with a resolute opponent, they skulk back to their lairs and begin plotting ways to win without having to fight."

You just aptly described how bullies typically react to being stood up to.

Congrats to you and all the other proud Wisconsinites who fought the good fight and emerged triumphantly.

Jim_C

Chez–I know we've been following this a long time, and I have to say "congrats."

I will always come to the defense of teachers and working people including the public sector people who do necessary work. But public sector unions have always been a dicey proposition for me (though in some cases, I get why they are needed).

Even more so, I am so NOT a fan of recall elections, unless the public trust has been breached. The freaking guy was ELECTED. He SAID what he wanted to do. I may not be a fan of how he did it–but I am a student of politics, and I have to admire how it was done.

Now, you krazy if you think this hurts my man, Obama. Basically, for this to hurt Obama, you have to in effect be seen as rooting against economic recovery. But it doesn't help, that's for sure.

mrbean

Unions in the private sector exist to ensure that profits are shared fairly between owners and workers. That's legitimate. In the public sector, there are no profits, because government isn't a business. Public money is obtained not by commerce but by force– through taxation– and the process of using force to collect taxes is regulated by the democratic process. Public sector unions corrupt the democratic process. They use the power of the state to extract union dues involuntarily from public employees, then use that money to elect politicians who protect union power… to extract union dues involuntarily. "Collective bargaining" in the public sector is little more than a soiree among thieves. Public sector unions "bargain" with the politicians they bought in the last election. Before 1959, Public Employee Unions were illegal and that is what they should be again.

Rocky Mountain

I don't really think public money is obtained by force albeit there are penalties for not paying just like there are penalties for not obeying other laws.

davarino

And I dont think your an idi0t but you sure are $tupid.

Have fun with your twisted logic.

mrbean

Don't pay your federal or state income tax and see what happens when the IRS freezes all your assets without a warrant and they issue a warrant for your arrest – then you can join Wesley Snipes in the federal penitentuary. Untimately, it is "Give us you money or we will take it from you by force."

"gunner"

@ rocky mountain,
try not paying the taxes "public money" comes from, the guys with the guns will be along shortly. i had an interview with an i.r.s. agent some years ago, he was openly carrying a holstered s&w .357. i commented "nice gun" and showed him my also holstered m1911a1 .45, things got real polite and friendly then, in the end he found that "uncle" owed me a couple of thousand bucks, the cheque came in the mail.

Asher

Yes, and alot of people got a dose of not having to dole out some of their check to the unions to vote for the Democrats! Huge…They can vote for who they want and not have to support the Union Thugacracy!

mlcblog

Interesting that happening in the 1970's, for Madison, WI, is where many Berkeley radicals, SDS folks like Ayers, headed in the late 1960's.

truebearing

The Walker Effect. …collective extortion will never be the same. It's fitting that public unions began in Wisconsin and now they are dying here.

Walker deserves a lot of credit, and so do all of those who supported him. I wish Breitbart was alive to see this defeat of unions and Progressivism. He came to Madison a number of times to support Walker and the Tea Party, and seemed to really enjoy vexing the union thugs and the Madison mutants.

Republicans governors now need to follow Walker's lead , but in unison. It is a lot harder for the unions to fight in multiple states simultaneously. Make them stretch their resources. One thing we would see is that they wouldn't be able to muster the numbers they had in Madison. The Left ships these professional protestors around to create the illusion that there are more of them than there truly are.

The left has damaged itself substantially with their obsessive quest for power in Wisconsin. Driven by hate, and maybe a little panic, they pushed way too hard and alienated even liberal voters. It is a good day for Wisconsin and America.

H&R_ Barack

May Wisconsin go the way of the Texas electorate since the 1970's…..and may desperate (establishment Republican), David Dewhurst have his happy fanny handed him on July 31st run off.

gamaliel

Unions by raising wages force American companies to become uncompetitive and as a result large unemployment. The government responds by borrowing money to support the unemployed which means that in the future when America can't borrow anymore to pay for unemployed people those people will have to accept low salaries to be competitive and will have a large chunk of those salaries go to pay the interest on government debt.

Alex

maybe the new occupant of WH will call that mental junior in to explain his statement about Tea Party:

"Let’s take these son………tches out"

Alex

Hoffa juniorek really spelled it out: sons….of….****es

davarino

Sweet nector. I feel this ship turning around and good things are coming. Sanity is returning. Obamacare will go down and Brock will have no legacy what so ever. The great pretender will have sunk the liberal ship, and America will be great again.

mlcblog

(nectar)

I share your happiness!!

wsk

No time for premature excitation. Lots of work to be done.
Vote Romney!

kafir4life

We could generate 100Mwatts of power from the wind generated by the spin being put on this by the unions and the left. Why Trumpka alone could light up Chicago!

davarino

It was fun watching the rubes on CNBC trying to paint a pretty picture of this whole thing. Like it didnt really matter and that the polls showed that even though the people of Wisconsin voted to keep the Republicans in this recall they still support Brock. It was fun watching them try to convince themselves that everything was ok hehehehehe

wsk

Rache Madcow was stupified!
Vote Romney!

Galveston

it doesn't take much to make him, I mean her, stupefied

Steve Chavez

The ROAR of the Silent Majority was deafening!

Steve Chavez

Do you HEAR the Train ah Comin' Mr. President???

mlcblog

Seriously!!

Looking4Sanity

HALLE-FREAKING-LUJAH!!!

Even from the distant state of Virginia I can hear the heads of liberal losers exploding out in Wisconsin! It sounds like "victory". This was a spear through the heart of union goons everywhere and it was long past due.

"the United States Department of Justice announced Monday that they would be monitoring election returns in the various locales around the country, including the city of Milwaukee, to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965."

Who did they cherry pick to perform that job? The New Black Panther Party? We'll never hear the end of this. The good news is that the sound of whining liberals is music to my ears…so, hey…free music!

tagalog

If the Department of Justice is sufficiently concerned about voter fraud in Wisconsin that they’re going to monitor the voting, then that seems to be a sufficient concern to support the push for voter ID.

fiddler

Good point!

pierce

As satisfying as Gov. Walker's victory was to me, I thought the interview on FOX with the Governor of Maryland, was even more significant. Either he didn't get the real importance behind the vote, or he was in total self denial. A devastating loss to those with the donkey as their mascot. Let us remember this victory come November.

http://apollospaeks.blogtownhall.com/ ApolloSpeaks

YESTERDAY, ON THE 8TH ANNIVERSARY OF RONALD REAGAN'S DEATH,

44 year old Scott Walker kept his job as Wisconsin's 45th governor thus foreshadowing election day when Mitt Romney will be elected 45th president retiring number 44 to the ash heap of leftist history.

This was NOT a Republican victory here. Let's not lose sight of the fact that a sizable percentage of the TEA Party are Democrats, and they voted not for the Republican, but for common sense and common decency, and for fiscal responsibility. (Republicans would do well to cultivate these so-called "Reagan" Democrats by purging their party of big government wastrels.)

Additionally, there were undoubtedly a few who expressed their disdain for the gross heavy-handedness of those erstwhile "labor" unions. Savor the victory, Republicans, but build on it.

truckwork

Agreed. It has occurred to me that a portion (what portion is only a guess) of those who voted for Walker did so because they felt that the Unions and the DNC provoked and forced this recall for illegitimate reasons. If Walker had done something that was illegal/immoral and not a fight about policy issues (which this was all about) then that would have been one thing, but it wasn't.

I am enjoying this and congratulate Gov. Walker and Wisconsin on their victory. However let's not think that just because of this victory that November will be a cake walk. There's a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure that the "one" is escorted out come November.

fiddler

Time to "Walker-ize" the Conservative Senate and House, and the candidates running for imminent vacancies! Time to get in the face of "journalists" such as Chris Matthews and not be duped by side-show politics!

BS77

This is hopefully a harbinger of things to come….now the mind boggling Federal deficits , debts and massive spending will be front and center in the coming election…..The American people see where the wacko liberal nanny state is headed and they don't want it. The public wants LOWER taxes, less spending, smaller government and a return to fiscal realism…..and a return of American manufacturing and greatness. People are sick of the corporate/government elites who live by another set of rules than the rest of us. Bring back American greatness!!

jacob

I WONDER WHAT TUNE IS NOW SINGING THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN SHOWN SINGING YESTERDAY ON TV
"HIT THE ROAD, JACK" …
.
THE BLUES PERHAPS ????

"On Tuesday, Republican Governor Scott Walker handily defeated Democrat Tom Barrett" Only on FPM would a 7% margin of victory – despite a 7:1 lead in money – would be considered a "handy" victory. So it would seem the assumption is good FPMers can't count really lets you know what the real opinion is the followers and peons of FPM, eh?
The contempt is so blantent the author even admits the truth: "Government unions in Wisconsin have already experienced a precipitous membership fall off after the reforms Mr. Walker and the then-Republican-controlled legislature enacted went in effect."
Gee I thought it was to help resolve fiscal issues? Nah, now the election is over the corporate bootlickers of FPM can freely brag about the real reasons. Hope the good FPMers enjoy a continuing decline in their standard of living and declining democratic representation.

reader

The decline in public sector unions is the chance for the improved standard of living for those, who the public sector unions bullied as a trivial mob, i.e., the people of the state. There's no "barganing" between Democrats and the public sector union in the first place. Essentially, it's a conspiracy to loot the people.

wsk

Didn't seem to have a problem when all of the out -of -state union morons occupied the State Capitol or all of the union money was pouring in did you? Effing hypocrite!
Vote Romney!

Galvetston

too bad sore loser

fiddler

Yes and which taxpayer gave them permission to take the day off, leave their posts and have a protest party at the capitol on the public's dime? Where did the legislators get permission to skip town and take an out-of-state vacation to stop a vote?

deprogrammer

Probably from the same source that allowed Walker to not mention what his plan was then spring it on everyone AFTER he was safely elected. You do recall the legislative scheming and manipulation repubs engaged in to ram the legislation through correct? Nah, that I'm quit sure you chose to forget that on the grounds it was an "un-fact".

reader

The kettle calling the pot black – coming from a union shill. This straw man would have worked before the recall election, but now – after Walker getting more votes than before – don't you even see how stupid you are by trying it here?

deprogrammer

So you assume I have union membership? Interesting since you know nothing about me. No, I'm not in a union but continue to believe whatever fantasy you've been told to follow.
How is pointing the fact Walker concealed his intentions until after election a "straw man"? He did period.
As for looking foolish I'm here to help. Their are a lot of damaged, maladapted people here. Human wreckage who have been ground into something resembling cottage cheese by the right-wing thought machine. In order for the process to begin it takes a slap in the face. After all this is where the hard cases are. The ones who WANT to be moulded and conditioned. I guess after so many years actually trying to move on with life seems more painful that staying in the cycle.
In the short term it is but that's what it takes to rejoin the human race.

coyote3

I cannot say I am not amused by this, tee hee

deprogrammer

Who said I didn't piss head?

nightspore

Social parasites always lash out as the host begins to throw them off.

"despite the 7:1 lead in money" – typical non sequitur from this type, since this has nothing to do with whether the adjective "handy" is appropriate or not

"corporate bootlickers" – ah, the typical leftwing canard – why else would people vote to prevent a two-tiered system of public and private sector workers in which they're holding the short stick? Must be because they're bootlickers.

deprogrammer

Okay, maybe I should have used smaller words just for you benefit. The repubs outspent the opposition 7 to 1. That is going to have a huge effect in defining the debate. You do realize advertising has a real effect, right? Despite this he won by 7% which isn't a resounding victory it means this clown will remain decisive and unpopular for the duration and Wisconsin will suffer from gridlock in government and terrible policy coming form his administration.

truckwork

Okay, I'll type slower just for your benefit. If I lived in Wisconsin, gridlock would be preferable to their government spending more money than they have. To you he may be a clown, but he got about the same margin of victory that Barry did for President in 2008. However his reforms have made the state more efficient, no teachers lost their jobs, more industries and other businesses are now interested in moving into Wisconsin and not one claim made by the Unions or Democrats came true.

Seems to me more people are better off now than before Gov. Walker began his reforms.

deprogrammer

I hate to break it to you but your speed of typing doesn't really matter. I wish FPMers would get up to speed on this hold "written language" thing.
Again, massive cuts – what you might think is reform – will have a negative effect. As for gridlock being preferable to a functioning government well that is very right wing of you. I know good FPMers are all about crashing our society in favour of a corporatist authoritarianism but trust me you aren't high up on the food chain. You'll just get ground up like the rest of us.
Then again you may be nursing a martyr fantasy which would make you one messed up piece of work. Not atypical for this site but still abnormal behaviour.

reader

Massive cuts for the public sector union means that the people have less money stolen from them by the thugs.

deprogrammer

All the more to be stolen by corporations with no means of response then. Have you ever seen a union member? Unlike what you've been told to believe they don't have horns and a tail. They are human. The monsters you see are only in your mind.

truckwork

Given the mistakes that you've made in your last two posts maybe you better slow down your typing.

What has a negative effect or impact on you might not have a negative impact on those who pay the bills, the taxpayer.

Government gridlock at the legislative level isn't "crashing our society". What is crashing our society is all the parasites that take from productive citizens because they are either too lazy or too unskilled/uneducated to be productive citizens to our society. The mentality that society owes you something is what leads to the destruction of so many democracies and other governments in the past. Democrats and Unions reinforce that mentality through the politics of fear and envy that even you have used on your last post. (IE: "You'll just get ground up like the rest of us.") The people of Wisconsin voted in favor of what Gov. Walker has done. The results of those changes/reforms have turned around the financial problems of Wisconsin. You just can't accept that.

Talk about one messed up piece of work.

deprogrammer

"What has a negative effect or impact on you might not have a negative impact on those who pay the bills, the taxpayer."

Let's see your assuming two things here 1) I'm a union member in Wisconsin 2) I'm NOT a taxpayer. Both accusations are baseless with the only "evidence" provided by your own delusions. You also assume that the right is only trying to crash society through government gridlock which is laughable. Economic means, yes that includes the private sector, are being used as well. This has an impact on a social level too but I've already lost you. I'm sure of that.

If you can't see the harm grinding government to a halt can do then their is no real help for you.

reader

Apart from these number being bogus on its face, the union spends enourmous resources on the so-called volunteers and busing and you name it – off the books, which is a reason in and of itself that the people have had enough of this.

Beth

"….enjoy a continuing decline in their standard of living…"

That's a lie: Just go to any search engine and type in Scott Walker + Surplus and see what that all means for the Wisconsin tax-payers and those who are unemployed.

deprogrammer

That's strange didn't your FPM programmers just tell you to start gloating about the decline in Union membership? Oh, well I guess it just takes some people more than a day to do a day's worth of the thinking. That precious surplus you speak of is no different than the one time infusion of cash from buying a company and selling off its assets to inflate stock value. It's pump and dump applied to state government. The loss of state jobs and stimulus provided by various programs will have a much worse and longer lasting effect than any one time infusion of "savings" by cutting.

Knucklehead

Yep, Walker's a clown, alright. That's why he helped us gain 30,000+ jobs in the last year and a half (Dept of Workforce Development AND the Obama administration's Bureau of Labor Statistics verify this). That's why our unemployment rate went from 8.1 to 6.7 at a time whe the national rate is 8.2. That's why my property taxes went DOWN while schools who enacted the reforms are in the black, teachers aren't being laid off and the economy is getting better.

deprogrammer, you're the clown. Go whine and spout sour grapes on some liberal blog where you belong. You sore losers amuse me!

deprogrammer

$800 million in cuts to education magically leads to schools being "in the black" in your mind. If anything you are an argument for an increase in school funding.

Oleg

Lets see a $ billion dollar deficit became a $150 million dollar surplus through closing down the trough of the public sector union bosses. As for democratic representation, you guys got your second chance to take over the Governor's mansion in as many years and lost both times. Unless you mean big "D" democratic representation, in which case a decline is a good thing given the amount of red ink, economic, and social decline that seems to walk hand in hand with that party being in power.

Ken

I love how when the opposition hs more money, it's treated as a sin or a conspiracy. But when their side has the advantage in money, it's just politics and nothing to worry about. Hypocrisy and double-standards really are the way of the Progressives and uber-Left!!

deprogrammer

Again another good FPMer is assuming I approve of a massive influx of money in politics. That is your programming shining through and not based on anything I wrote.
You need to actually try to pay attention to what is going on and detach your mouth from the FPM bilge pump.

reader

Broken record.

deprogrammer

Well, in order for it to sink through your programming repetition is often needed. That's how the lies got into your head in the first place. It's probably going to take twice the effort for the truth to get in there now.

fiddler

Standard of living? I was with two unions and what I found is that entitlement breeds sloth and dependency. I'm sure Wiconsinites will deal with it, while there is more money in their pocket.

deprogrammer

Unless they had government jobs then they have no money in their pockets. Or they lose out on getting a job because the pool of job hunters got bigger. Or their private sector job took a hit because the customer base shrank. Or, well you get my point.
Government has an important part to play in helping to stimulate recover. In bad economic times the private sector won't spend – even when they have the money – so government can step in get the recovery going. Now that we have these repubs at the helm that is going to be fought tooth and nail to the detriment of all.
It's not necessarily the best mechanism but it is the one that has been in place for decades in our country and can work. Provided a bunch of right-wing zealots aren't trying to crash the whole of society with their austerity worship.

deprogrammer

That's odd you seem to have forgotten about the people who will get hammered by budget cuts. Makes a fellow think you either didn't notice – not very smart – or don't care – not very human.

pagegl

I kind of noticed that all the trolls who where hanging around the past few days, telling us how Walker was going down, are absent. That's the problem with democracy, sometimes it just doesn't work the way the left thinks it should.

Why not? Let's put a robber baron in charge. What has his ilk ever done to harm us? Well, aside from rampant deregulation, installing a bunch of right-wing mouth breathers in government, crashing the economy and ducking out on paying for anything.

Jdubyageegolly

The cries and sobs of the demoncrats utter defeat in Wisconsin sustains me… The misery of their incompetence and foolishness in the face of sanity and fiscal soundness is utterly delicious. The defeat of the big unions and demoncrats financial support smells like victory… Victory for freedom and the American way.

bearone7777

Hello,
Was listening to a little bit of the Glenn Beck program–(RADIO)–This morning, and some of the complete morons that were against this man were being interviewed, and they were crying, and belly-aching about how we have now lost democracy. Boo-Hoo!!!! Glenn made a great point on air today, and it is that the United States of America is not a democracy——"IT IS A REPUBLIC", AND THAT IS WHY THESE MORONS JUST DO NOT GET IT, NOR WILL THEY EVER GET IT. Just one more fact—-GOD BLESS GOV. WALKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, Oh, OH,—–JUST HAVE TO ADD IF ANYBODY IS THERE IN WISCONSIN, AND SEE EDDIE "SARGENT" SHULTZ FROM MS-NBC–(PUKE)–CABLE CHANNEL—GO, AND PET HIM ON THE HEAD, AND AY THERE, THERE EDDIE BOY. MAYBE NEXT TIME—–"NOT".

Beth

The fact that the unions picked this fight in the first place (and in Wisconsin) only to be stood up to by the voters….is most delicious to me.

stevefraser

FDR: “All Government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service. It has its distinct and insurmountable limitations when applied to public personnel management. The very nature and purposes of Government make it impossible for administrative officials to represent fully or to bind the employer in mutual discussions with Government employee organizations. Particularly, I want to emphasize my conviction that militant tactics have no place in the functions of any organization of Government employees. A strike of public employees manifests nothing less than an intent on their part to prevent or obstruct the operations of Government until their demands are satisfied. Such action, looking toward the paralysis of Government by those who have sworn to support it, is unthinkable and intolerable.”

Jeamar

I know from personal experience many teachers belong to NEA and their state branches for legal representation should they need it, sort of "malpractice" insurance for teachers. I thought the same thing until an older more experienced teacher explained that I could privately purchase such insurance from almost any insurance carrier just like car insurance or home-owners insurance which I did for the rest of my teacher career. It was a relief not to feel my money was supporting political views I disagreed with. I urge teachers who feel they need such insurance and probably everybody does in the whacky days in education, to go private.
Next I hope some organization will take on the coercion, both subtle and not so subtle, to contribute to United Way exerts on both public and private to encourage them to be among those whose employees give 100%.

BLJ

The people behind the Cheddar Curtain have spoke. Maybe the rest of America will wake up and the Dear Leader will be sent to sidelines come November.

Rick_in_VA

I think it's funny how the liberals were saying that this election would show how the general election in November would go. Of course, that was before the polls started showing Walker as the likely winner. Now it doesn't seem to matter. Typical li(e)berals.

Ronald Johnston

Wisconsin and every state for that matter, needs to require voter ID and monitor it no matter what the doj does. The doj is not big enough to fight every state. This will insure the end of the doj and good riddance!!!! Romney will be able to do away with all of the evil illegal unconstitutional agencies!!!!

truckwork

The DOJ when managed properly by the President, (his job is to protect and defend the Constitution and the Rule of Law) is fine. The DOJ is presently under the worst Attorney General EVER! This man has broken so many laws that he should be sent to jail. The Fast and Furious program alone, if under a Republican President, would have been resolved with the AG at least in jail by now. The F&F program has lead to the death of one maybe two federal agents and the ATF, FBI and DEA are neck deep in it, and AG Holder hasn't provided half of the documents that Congress has asked for. And Barry hasn't done anything to stop it, and in fact I believe he has encouraged it.
DOJ is there to make sure that the States where applicable follow the Constitution.

Asher

Yeh, Talk about bad judgement to cost the taxpayers millions of dollars to recall a governor who has lowered property taxes, created jobs, and straightened out the budget, (keeping his word.) Barrett was crying about the Democracy being lost, well Duh..we are not a Democracy, we are a Republic. Democracy is rights for all, not just special interest groups and greedy unions. This recall created a firestorm and alot of support and backing for Scott Walker and in turn Mitt Romney who wants to restore American Capitalism and Entrepreneurship… The taxpayers are sick of feeding the Government and propping up the Unions! Even Bill Clinton worked with Newt Gingrich and the congress and to his credit passed alot of bills that made America very prosperous. Obama has a war on Christians, Jews, Colonialists, and Capitalists, and the people spoke Loud and clear in re-electing, the Governor and Lt. Governor!

truckwork

Democracy is rule by majority. Democracy doesn't protect the interests of the minority, so saying that Democracy is "rights for all" isn't correct. Democracy results in mob rule as can be seen by the mobs that occupied the Capital in Madison. Eventually Democracy results in anarchy which then disolves into a dictatorship or an oligarchy. This is what the one and all his "social justice/democracy" supporters want.

greg johnson

Didn't the Democrat win the Senate seat in Racine? And isn't the count 17-16 Democrats in the Senate?